La messe africaine

Since my arrival in country, I’ve been to 4 messes (Catholic masses). Two were completely in local language, one was entirely in French, and the latest one was a complementary mixture of the two. They normally last 1.5-2 hours, though yesterday I sat through a new priest’s first mass for four hours. There’s not a specific élément ajouté which makes the services longer, each part just takes an extra 5-10 minutes. For instance, the choir will sing an eight minute song instead of a four line hymn. Moreover, the messages have been quite different than what I normally heard in the US or Europe. Instead of discussing how to best use material goods to benefit the less fortunate, the priest is far more likely to emphasize the comforting and supportive nature of God’s love, especially in times of great hardship. The churches I’ve been to were all cathedrals which resembled your typical American suburban Catholic church. One of my other goals for my time here is to learn more Islam and its influence in host country culture (cuisine, politics, gender relations) given that the Muslim population is large but not the absolute majority. During the masses in local language, I’m usually able to tirer (draw out a few key words such as “God,” “father,” and “very good.” While the other parishioners are reciting their phrases, I usually quietly recite them in my head in English. It’s the thought (and the faith) that count. Still, I’ll try to find a Bible in the local language before heading to site. Especially since there’s always a lot of causerie (informal chatting) after mass!